Good Questions: How Can I Spruce Up My Kitchen?

It has a decent granite countertop and a fairly inoffensive backsplash, but looking at these drab cabinets everyday has become quite painful.

I can't update my appliances just yet, as it's not in my straight-out-college budget, so I need some way of turning this space into something less boring without spending a fortune...

(Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.)

I was thinking about painting the cabinets a dark gray color and making my kitchen monochromatic with colorful accents, but everyone tells me how much of a pain in the neck that would be (personally putting in a little elbow grease doesn't scare me).

Any ideas about how to go about this transformation?

And if painting is the way to go, what paint and materials should I use?

Maxwell left teaching in 2001 to start Apartment Therapy as a design business helping people to make their homes more beautiful, organized AND healthy. The website started up in 2004 with the help of his brother, Oliver.